Visit to doctor yields good news for Angels' Sean Burnett

Angels reliever Sean Burnett works against the Mariners in a game earlier… (Otto Greule Jr. / Getty Images )

HOUSTON — A visit to Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon who performs more than 200 Tommy John surgeries per year, can cause great consternation for big league pitchers and their teams, but Sean Burnett actually got some good news after being examined by Andrews in Florida on Monday.

“Everything came back good,” the Angels reliever said in a text message. “Just some forearm inflammation and some nerve irritation. He gave me a shot, and I will need to take a few days off from throwing.”

Burnett had a 1.04 earned-run average in 11 appearances before being put on the 15-day disabled list April 28 because of forearm irritation. Pitching wasn’t so much a problem for the left-hander, but the discomfort Burnett felt between appearances prevented him from pitching on consecutive days.

There was some concern that Burnett, who underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2004 season and had bone spurs removed from his elbow in October, had reinjured the ligament, but there was “no issue with the ligament at all,” said Jim Munsey, Burnett’s agent.

Burnett, one of the team’s most reliable bullpen arms, is one four Angels relievers who have gone on the DL this season — the others are Ryan Madson, Kevin Jepsen and Mark Lowe.

Lowe was activated Monday, with Ryan Brasier being optioned to triple A to make room for the right-hander, and Burnett, who traveled to Houston to join the team, could return May 14, the day he is eligible to come off the DL.